Lubricating-packing.



J. B. STEARNS. LUBRIGATING PACKING. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 21

Patented Mar.23, 1909.

waaaes UNITED STATES earner creme.

JOSHUA B. STEARNS, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

LUBRICATING-PA GKING T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosHUA a citizen of the United States, and resident of Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improve ment in Lubricating-Packing, .of which 'the following is a specification.

In many situations especially efficient and long-lived lubricating medium in the form of packing is desirable, as for instance for gears and gearings, journals or axles, shaftmgs,

- etc, the running gear of locomotives, tenders,

passenger and freight cars, and in fact all other kinds of cars, particularly when especially heavy as in the case of parlor and sleeping cars, electric cars, etc.

My invention is particularly adapted to the above exacting requirements, although. capable of use in packing anything that requires lubrication.

While it is exceedingly difficult torepresent fairly and adequately in aline-drawing the appearance and condition-of my article of manufacture, I have shown in the drawings, in Figure 1 a mass of the article-and in Fig. 2, l have undertaken to indicate gra hically the fluffy, soft, and open woolly or 'brous character of the packing by showing a portion thereof held between the thumb and forefinger, showing that it is not suificiently coherent/to cling en masse in a large quantity, and yet will cling to a greater or less extent. Both of said figures are front elevations showing the packing.

The packing is indicated at 1, and Fig. 2

- represents a portion of the mass as having km on the; table 2 by its own weight away from the rest of the mass which was originally lifted, and yet the Woolly or fibrous hairlike or fibrilliform condition of the leather is such that a considerable portion of the mass still clings together, although only grasped at its extreme edge by the thumb and forefinger, as shown in Fig. 2.

I have found that ground or shredded and pulverized leather, or at least leather in sufficiently flexible and moldable condition for the pur ose, saturated with animal orvegetable oi s or' reases produces surprisingly efficient resu ts. The porous, fibrous leather holds the lubricating matter in perfect suspension, saturated with lubricant, the latter cannot settle at the .bottom of the journal 'box'or other holding means, but is retained by the capillary action of the leather ready for use Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 21, 1906.

B. S'rEAnN s,

so that even though fully Patented March 23,1909. Serial No. 348,838.

at the very surface of the mass. 7 Preferably I grind, shred or otherwise reduce the'leather to a light, fluffy condition, avoiding, however, reducing the leather to a powder,'or such fine form as to destroy or injure the fibrous nature of the leather, and yet reducing the leather to a sufficientlysubdivided condition to enable it to become readily and thoroughly saturated with a minimum amount of liquid lubricant, and also to enable it to conform automatically closely and accurately to the bearing surface which it is to lubricate.

A fluffy mass prepared as above explained has no tendency to cling or wrap around the axle or spindle of the article, large or small, which it is lubricating, and does not tendto grind or cut the surface, readily keepsit' clean and maintains substantially perfect and uniform lubrication. Also the compound can be readily mixed with wool waste, or any fib'rous substance, as the leather, if comminuted, readily filters in, and beds itself among the fibers of the wool waste or the like, carrying at the same time its load of animal or vegetable grease or oil or graph ite or the like. It is exceedin ly light, soft, open, fluffy and readily so are le, in its normal condition as an artic e of manufacture, and is capable of being divided and sub-divided with extreme accuracy into exactly the amounts required, being in this respect quite different from the wool waste and the like which tends to cling to itselfin-large masses.

While I do not wish to be limited to any particular manner or method of preparing the fibrous or comminuted leather, and while, as already intimated, it may be prepared in various ways, one convenient way of noducing it is by means of a hand-card, w ose teeth are sharp-pointed, stiff and close together. Drawing such a card rapidly across the surface of the leather will soon separate the leather into its fibers and form the fibrous leather desired, it being understood that the leather, separated into its individual fibers, forms aflu 'fy, fleecy, or sort'of woolly mass of light fibrous, porous character. The desired fibrilliforrn leather, however, is usually produced from scrap or refuse leather by machinery, as already intimated.

I wish it understood that I am not limited to any particular lubricant or kind of leather, although I prefer a liquid lubricant, and thick, comparatively dense leather, such as is used for the heav claim as manufacture, in a soft open fiuiiy condition.

. eating 'f leather saturated with a liquid lubricant, and I i normally parts of shoes, Saddlery and the like. The leather may be used in thin, flexible and rather large pieces, saturated as explained, and packed into the journal box or the like, to advantage, the leather retaining and evenly distributing; the lubricant until worn out, both wearing awav together evenly.

' Having described my invention, what I new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A lubricating packing, consisting of comminuted leather ground to a light fibrous condition, soaked with lubricant, and main,- tained, in its finished form as an article of 2. As. an article of manufacture, a lubripacking, consisting of connninuted in a soft, Huffy condition. i 3. As an article of manufacture, the here- I in described fibrilliforrn lubricating packing. 1

consisting of leather reduced to a light, fibrous, fibrilliform condition in which the fibers of the leather are separated into filaments having sufiicient length and fineness to pre sent a woolly appearance and be capable ol clinging to each other in a mass and sustaining the mass in a light, ilu'll'y condition, and a lubricant mixed therewith.

41-. A lubricating packing, consisting of porous, flexible leather having its fibers loaded with lubricating material, and, \when in. its finished, final condition ready for use, maintained in a light, ilufiiv, readily fibrilliforin condition.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my naineto this,specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JOSHUA B. STEAK \Vitnesses GEO. H. MAXWELL, M. J. PIKE.

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